Snack attack: It's time to rethink the tradition of spiking kids' events with junk food

Tuesday

Jun 26, 2007 at 12:01 AMJun 26, 2007 at 7:48 PM

Doughnuts and punch. Ding Dongs. Granola bars with little chocolate chips and marshmallows in them. That's standard fare at a 7-year-old's soccer game. Orange slices and water at halftime, treats at the end.

Despite the obvious disconnect of unhealthy food at a healthy event, the snack-food madness is spreading.

By Jennifer Barrett/Salt Lake Tribune

After a tough game or an intense practice, the players for Salt Lake City's professional soccer team, Real, need to eat.

No doughnuts and punch. No Ding Dongs. Not even granola bars with little chocolate chips and marshmallows in them.

That's standard fare at a 7-year-old's soccer game. Orange slices and water at halftime, treats at the end.

If the pros don't eat sugar-loaded junk food after a game, why do we feed it to our kids?

"It completely defeats the purpose," says Salt Lake pediatrician Mark Templeman. The average child doesn't burn enough calories in a soccer game to work off a Twinkie or a doughnut, he said.

Despite the obvious disconnect of unhealthy food at a healthy event, the snack-food madness is spreading. Junk food is showing up not only at sporting events, but also at choir practice, ballet recitals and field trips.

"My kids are on safety patrol at school, and they get a candy bar at the end of the week," Templeman says.

The sugar rush comes at a time of unprecedented childhood obesity, an epidemic that is leaving some kids with adult-onset diabetes, high blood pressure and emotional scarring.

Nutritionist Julie Metos, head of the master's program in nutrition at the University of Utah, says that some parts of the country are ahead of others - at times when she has brought up the sport-snack topic at conferences, many of her peers tell her that their communities have given up the practice.

One town in New Jersey swore them off after a local dad, mystery writer Harlan Coben, wrote a humorous rant for the New York Times titled "Will Play for Food."

E-mail poured in from around the country with parents confessing how much they hated bringing the soccer snack, Coben said.

"There was almost universal agreement. There was no one who wrote, 'No, I love bringing Doritos,"' he said in an interview.

In fact, he received pained messages from many parents, including the mother of an overweight child who lamented that "you can't tell a 7-year-old that he can't have this" when all his friends are scarfing the post-game treat.

In Salt Lake County, Utah, the Parks and Recreation Department recently removed candy and chips from vending machines at rec centers where kids play basketball, take classes and swim.

While early results are still being gathered, officials say the public's reaction has been positive. Revenue has dropped - about a quarter in some centers - but parents support the changes.

If parents hate bringing the snack and the nation is trying to be healthier, why do we still give our kids doughnuts at soccer games - and baseball, basketball, swimming, and choir?

"For some reason, our celebrations have to revolve around food and treats rather than the reward of giving your best and getting exercise and being outside with friends. We forget the real reward," Templeman said.

Metos agrees. "If they're only playing soccer for the treat, it's time to find another sport." She also believes there may be an element of parental competition.

"I think we're just kind of insecure as parents. We think we have to do more and more for our kids, and we've created higher and higher expectations for them. It's something we really need to scale back," she said.

Coben suggests it may be a leftover from the toddler years, when a mother kept a cache of "calming pellets" in her purse at all times to soothe a screaming child.

For those who want to end the treat tradition, here are a few suggestions:

Baby steps: If you're not ready to cut off the kiddies just yet, try switching part of the snack for something healthier. Bring water bottles instead of sports drinks, but keep the snack. "The little Capri Sun packs have four teaspoons of sugar. If I can bring water plus the snack, I'm already halfway better," said Metos. Healthy steps: Continue bringing orange slices for halftime, but bring fruit for the end-of-game treat, too. Metos said kiwis are fun for kids. Cut off the tops, hand them a spoon, and show them how to scoop. Strawberries and grapes are also popular. Soft sell: Don't get preachy. At the preseason parent meeting, suggest a healthy change. "You don't have to say, 'I'm really into health, and you're all slobs.' Just say, 'I thought I'd try something different,"' Metos said. You can also say you're on a budget and want to consider doing away with snacks altogether. "You'd be surprised how many parents would be relieved not to have to run around before the game and spend $25." Hard sell: Have the coach make a no-snack policy and have an end-of-season party with a picnic. Confiscate any snacks that appear, and save them for the party. "All they need is water. They have enough energy already," Templeman said. And games usually come just before or after a meal.

Some parents may be reluctant to end what seems like a right of childhood.

Real defender Stewart understands. "It's one of the perks of being a little kid: Your metabolism runs high."

But after traveling the world as an athlete, and seeing first-hand how fat Americans are becoming, he agrees it's time to cut back.

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